My personal romance.
My personal happy for right now . . . or forever. Whichever.
I’d hold him close and keep what happened between us close to my chest before I let anyone, even my best friend, make me question what we shared again.
11
Ali
“I’m proud of you,” Pops said. “You must really like her if you’re going to do this. I can’t wait to meet her.”
My father’s assumption was true. I did really like Avery. We’d only been back in each other’s lives for a couple of weeks, but it felt like we’d been together forever. Avery spoke to a part of my heart that no other woman had access to. She made me feel safe with her. She made me feel like I could trust her. She was my muse. Being in her presence calmed me.
I was hoping I could spend the next two weeks showing her what I, and Jasper Lane, had to offer. That way, when it was time for her to decide if she wanted to stay or go, she’d choose to stay. In order for that to happen, I’d have to go outside and face the public. Just thinking about it increased my anxiety, but Avery was worth it. If she chose to stay here with me, I’d give her the life she deserved . . . a life beyond the walls of my home.
“I do like her—a lot. She’s been like a breath of fresh air. She fits me.”
“Good, Son. Now I know tonight is going to be a lot for you. I don’t want you to freeze up. If she’s truly the one, she’ll understand if you have to adjust the plans. Adjust, but don’t abort. I know doing this is going to be good for you.”
“Yeah. I know I gotta take baby steps. So I’m taking her to the festival, but after hours. I’m just glad they let me pay to keep it open an hour later so we could enjoy it alone. Just having to engage with the workers is something I can handle, but I know I’d be too anxious if we did it during normal hours.”
“And you said you’re taking her to brunch tomorrow?”
Sighing, I ran my hand down my chest as my body heated just at the thought. “Yeah. I let the owner know I’m coming through, so he let me reserve a table in the back of the restaurant. I’m hoping we can go in and be seated immediately. That’ll help a lot. I’on wanna be standing around the lobby and shit waiting for a table.”
He chuckled. “I want you to consider getting security as well. It’s not just for protection. They could keep people from getting too close as you transition. I won’t suggest I know what you’re dealing with, but I can imagine how anxious you’re going to feel being in public after keeping your distance for so long. Maybe having a bodyguard or two to keep people out of your personal space won’t be so bad, and then when you get comfortable enough to where you can handle the interactions on your own, you don’t have to use them anymore.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Pops. I’ma look into that.”
The main thing I tried to avoid in Jasper Lane was large crowds and paparazzi. Since the book-to-film deal was announced, it was like I transcended to a higher level. I wasn’t just an author to the people here anymore. They treated me like I was an actual celebrity. That was something that I still hadn’t gotten used to yet.
Back home in Memphis, the only people I had to worry about were readers or women who saw and followed me on social media. Now, I had to worry about everyone who was obsessed with people in the entertainment industry. Even with me not putting myself in the category of other kinds of entertainers, other people did, and I’d had to adjust my life because of it. As peaceful as it had been, I couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t boring, which was another reason I was so glad to have Avery in my life.
Pops and I talked a little while longer before I disconnected the call. I fed Gremlin and gave him some attention before getting ready to go and get my girl. She had no idea what I had planned for tonight, and I couldn’t wait to see how she’d react. If this didn’t convince her that I was dedicated to us, I didn’t know what would.
When she told me that she had some doubts about us a couple of nights ago, that shit cracked my heart a little. All this time, I’d been trying to convince myself that I could trust her, and it never crossed my mind that she could be having those same thoughts about me. Eventually she told me the full story about how her best friend had her questioning my intentions and if what we had was real, and I could respect that.
It sounded like Jessica had the right intentions, even if she may have gone about it the wrong way. I didn’t feel the need to convince anyone that I was sincere when it came to Avery except Avery, and I didn’t give a fuck whether people would approve of what we had or not.
On the outside looking in, I was sure it seemed like we were moving fast. If I had it my way, she wouldn’t even be at the hotel. She’d be staying with me. I wanted her that close. I didn’t mind letting time catch up to where my heart was though.
As I drove to the hotel, I kept telling myself everything would work out tonight. It would only be us at the festival, and we’d have the whole park to ourselves. Outside of the workers, no oneelse would be there to make me feel uncomfortable, and I’d be able to focus completely on making sure Avery had a good time. She more than deserved that.
By the time I arrived, I felt confident enough to see this night through. I made my way up to her room, and the sight of her took my breath away. Her hair was pulled up in the bun I was used to seeing it in when we were in high school. A few of her curls hung down and framed her beautiful face. She had in her contacts for a change, giving me an unobstructed view of her slanted eyes.
The white halter top she had on looked good against her peanut butter brown skin, and she paired it with high waisted shorts that exposed her round ass and thick thighs. I licked my lips and swallowed at the sight of her thigh tattoos, reminding myself they would be wrapped around me as I dug in her pussy tonight. Avery literally made my dick harden and mouth water in desire for her, and I still hadn’t gotten used to that. No woman ever had that effect on me before.
“Hi, baby,” she spoke, smile spreading the longer our eyes remained locked.
“Hey, honey. You look delicious.” Her laugh turned into a moan when I pulled her close and ran my nose across her neck. “And you smell good too.”
“Mm, thank you, handsome. You look good as always. Can we take a picture? I promise I won’t post it.”
I smiled as I released her. “Of course we can take a picture. And you can post it once we get back home.”
She squealed and did a cute little shimmy that turned my smile into a laugh.
“Are you sure?”
